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June 14, 2008

About 5,000 Kept From Homes, Two Houses Destroyed in N.S. Brush Fire

by Sam Savage

By Melanie Patten And Michael Tutton, THE CANADIAN PRESS

PORTERS LAKE, N.S. - Ash floated through the air as blustery winds whipped up a unpredictable brush fire in a heavily wooded area east of Halifax on Saturday, destroying two houses and forcing 5,000 people from their homes.

No injuries were reported, but about 200 people had registered at emergency shelters since the fire began on Friday afternoon near Porters Lake. Three other houses were damaged, the siding on the buildings scorched or melted.

Steve Auton, a firefighter who was resting in Minesville after eight hours amid the flames, said it was a "crazy, big fire" that constantly changed directions as it leapt over some of the many lakes that dot this scenic, rural area.

"If you don't have your head up all the time, it can sneak up on you and cause a lot of problems," said the 43-year-old firefighter, one of about 100 battling the blaze.

"Every time you thought you'd made a little bit of headway, you'd realize that you were now downwind from the fire because it had curved around you."

At least three water bombers and three helicopters attacked the head of the fire as it raced southward, scorching a jagged swath up to five kilometres wide and 15 kilometres long.

For the second day, a huge plume of billowing grey and blue smoke could be seen 20 kilometres away in Halifax.

Auton described how one home he saw was a charred wreck, while another just metres away was untouched.

"You realize these people are going to come home to nothing," he said. "It's tough to look at."

Heather Stronach, 28, became emotional when asked about her family home, built by her parents more than 30 years ago.

"This is our memories and they're not letting us get in there to get any of our memories," said Stronach, a nurse who went to an evacuation shelter in Dartmouth with her parents.

"I'm feeling lost and I'm feeling upset because this is the house I grew up in and the fire came within feet of it. I'd love to have the photo albums. ... They're sitting in my bedroom. And my mom's wedding dress, I'd love to get that out."

Marian Waltman, 56, another evacuee at the shelter, said the wait was difficult.